Thursday, May 1, 2014

Weekly Log 28-Apr to 4-May-2014: Recovery Week #2

Two weeks into a projected four week recovery. Every day seems to yield some improvement.

Monday: 0
Planned rest day.

Tuesday: 5
Woody Hill jog 'n clear. Cleared a simple and short trail between Woody main dirt road and Lax Field Trail. Will need to be run a few times before it becomes obvious. Did some exploring past the "Private Property" sign on Lax Field Trail, as that private property will now soon become Town of Westerly open space property! Would like to cut some more trails. Ran out towards the Woody Hill dam; very dismayed to see recent damage from dirt bikes.

Wednesday: 0
Strange day; lost my run window. Unexpectedly back up at Hasbro Children's Hospital. Apparently Mark had a bad reaction to some of the surgery prep drugs used when removing the metal rods from his bones last week. From Providence to Westerly to bring the boy home, and then from Westerly to Boston to a send-off evening event for a number of my colleagues who also declined to move to NC and whose last day of work it was. Mixed emotions; it was originally my last day of work as well before recent short extension.

Thursday: 5
Revved things up a notch by going for a 2-lap run of Newbury loop, a/k/a "Jana's route". 1st lap at 8:15 pace, 2nd at 7:15. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's my fastest yet in recovery. I could feel the 7:15 pace was pushing it a bit and a tad uncomfortable in the surgery area, but good progress.

Friday: 13!

Sign that you had a good trail run!

Fun in the mud!

Morning run: [8 miles] After called at 3AM to work on an issue (is that why management asked me to extend my departure?), I got a catnap when finished, and then it was deservedly "me time". Went to Barn Island, one of my favorite places for trail running and just had a blast on the trails. While much of the trails had drained, the low lying areas had plenty of muck, mud, and deep puddles to run through. Fun! Even found a new trail to run on, twisty, and then drops 50 feet or so into a swamp, where I briefly lost the trail in some skunk cabbage. Yesterday, I was a little sore (in the stomach incision only), but today I felt great!

Evening run: [5 miles] Celebratory run pre-Josh and Kate wedding, followed by drinks and food at Andrea. On the run, I ran primarily with Paul Gray, out towards Watch Hill and back. Stayed for tuna tacos and a couple of drinks at Andrea, then left after about an hour. By then there were about 25 people at the event! Weird moment - Marlin Hoffman (WTAC runner, Li'l Rhody sponsor, fellow CHS '82 grad) had the same surgery on the same date. Thanks much to John a/k/a Pard for lending me a jacket and giving me a ride home.

Saturday: 7Morning swim: Epic fail. The bike was tolerable; this was not. Getting into the pool, talked it up with Greg Niles, who is running Providence Cox Half tomorrow (any original plans for me to run the full are obviously out the window). From the moment I started swimming, I felt pain (not just discomfort) in the stomach. Tried to go even slower (is that possible?), but the pain continued with each stroke. Finished one lap and got out. Can I avoid Greg on the way back? Nope - had to explain. He reminded me that swimming uses a lot of stomach muscles.
Showered and went to Bess Eaton around the corner and got a double chocolate donut. I'm pretty sure swimming and eating donuts yield the same cardio-vascular benefits. Drove home, took some painkillers and laid on the couch till it went away. Won't be going into the pool again anytime soon.

Afternoon redemption run: Went on Strava to see what the rest of WTAC is up to. Thrilled to see everyone's morning achievements (3 on an epic trail run, 3 on a cool ride) while simultaneously angry at myself. Get your lazy sorry arse off the couch and get outside and do something! Went to CHS for Matthew's middle school meet. Intentionally arrived 1 hour early to run local trails. By the time I was into the pine forest on North-South Trail, my mood had changed around for the better. BONUS: got back to CHS in time to see Matthew notch two new PRs and overall wins: 5-flat in the 1500 and 2:24 in the 800.

Sunday: 7
Had proffered up two potential courses to the Y for BRR. Went for a run with the RD on one of them. I think either one that they pick will be an improvement over the previous course, and he agreed. Race committee meeting tomorrow at Arcadia Y to decide what to do next.
Wanted to get in a few solo miles and was intrigued by the mountain bike race going on. Headed to North Camp Road area off Buckeye Brook Road, and ran 1+ miles of the race course facing the riders so I could always get out of their way quick, and eventually ran part of the NST north of Buckeye Brook, before veering off to the trail to the left down to the raised stone wall and concrete dam and headed back. Some day I'll learn the trail names and be more conversant.

Weekly mileage:
Run: 37
Bike: Fail
Swim: Fail

Weekly recap:
Really, really happy with my run recovery this week. Surprised and happy I was able to get almost 40 miles for the week. The bike and swim were a disappointment and patience is not my strongest virtue, but I know it will come.